As we approach warmer summer days, it’s time to start thinking about planting some healthy vegetables in your garden, or adding some growing herbs to your windowsill!

So today we’re covering…

🍽️ Easy plants to grow on…Mars?

🍽️ Savory Gluten-Free Scallion Pancakes & Roasted Carrots with Whipped Jalapeno & Black Pepper Feta!

🍽️ Fermenting Early Summer Vegetables

Healthy News Dose

Easy Plants to Grow at Home…and Mars?

You'll never believe what NASA is having astronauts grow in space - and why.

It's genius...and so simple you can do it at home!

As you would expect, long space missions can really mess with your head. So NASA figured out a shockingly easy way to boost astronauts' moods.

They’re going to have them grow plants! (Yes, just like the movie The Martian)

Not even to eat - just for the psychological benefits. 🌱🧠

And get this - having a few potted plants at home can massively benefit YOUR mental health too!

Don't have an outdoor garden? No problem! Just grab a sunny window sill. Growing hearty herbs like rosemary or thyme is super easy. 🌿

Have some yard space? Plant some zucchini, carrots, or strawberries. Imagine snacking on homegrown goodness! 🥕🍓

Pro tip: buy scallions with the roots on, use the tops, and plant the bottoms. Free scallions in just weeks!

Seriously, a few container plants can make you feel happier and calmer. Don't just take NASA's word for it - try it yourself!

Want the secret recipe for gluten-free scallion pancakes? Get it FREE below! 🥞

The Cooking Corner

Savory Gluten-Free Scallion Pancakes

You can use whatever vegetables you like in these savory pancakes. 

I used a bit of gluten-free sourdough starter in this recipe!

I added Sriracha at the end, which you can omit if you want to cut the heat.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup GF sourdough starter

• ¼ cup buckwheat flour, or our GF flour mix

• 1 Tablespoon water

• ¼ red bell pepper, small dice

• ¼ red onion, small dice

• ¼ green bell pepper, small dice

• 2 scallions, finely sliced

• 2 Tablespoons Tamari, or soy sauce

• 2 teaspoons sesame oil

• 1 whole egg

• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 2 teaspoons Black Chinese Vinegar, or rice vinegar

• ¼ teaspoon baking soda

• 2 Tablespoons sunflower seed oil, for cooking pancakes

• 1 Tablespoon prepared Sriracha, for serving

• A handful of fresh cilantro or chives, for serving

• A few wedges of fresh lime, for serving

Instructions:

1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the sourdough starter, buckwheat flour, water, diced vegetables, Tamari, sesame oil, egg, black pepper, red pepper flakes, vinegar, and baking soda.

2. Preheat a nonstick pan with some sunflower seed oil, and add a small scoop of the batter.

3. Cook the pancakes individually on both sides, and serve with Sriracha, cilantro, and fresh wedges of lime, if desired.

Fermenting Early Summer Strawberries

Have you tried homemade strawberry kvass? Scratch that…have you tried any Kvass?

It’s a lightly-fizzy, fermented strawberry drink.

You basically combine the ripe berries with some water and honey, and allow the mixture to ferment in a clean jar in a dark place for a day or two, opening the jar a few times each day to allow the built-up CO2 to escape.

The article encouraged using techniques like this to extend the shelf-life of any berries you have that might be close to going bad, which was a really fun idea!

Our team here at Bloom has created a unique set of fermented fruits and vegetable recipes, including some fun fizzy beverages that utilize fermented pineapple and guava peels!

If you are curious about fermenting foods but aren’t exactly sure where to start, check out our Fermentation cookbook here! 

Upgrade your plate…

With Roasted Carrots with Whipped Jalapeno & Black Pepper Feta!

Simmer whole carrots in salted water until almost tender, and then remove them from the water.

Slice the carrots lengthwise, and roast them in the oven under the broiler until caramelized, or roughly eight minutes.

Serve the roasted carrots with a dip consisting of whipped Feta cheese (try our plant-based one here!), minced jalapenos, olive oil, cayenne pepper, and freshly-ground black pepper.

I used pickled jalapenos in my whipped Feta recipe, just because I had an open jar that I needed to use up—but some fresh jalapeno would work wonderfully here.

Let me know what you are cooking lately, and feel free to reach out with any specific questions you might have about recipes or cooking, and I’ll do my best to get back to you promptly.

Aaaaaand don’t forget to say hi in our lovely Facebook group!

Andy G

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